Is this backpack too crass for class? Credit: District School Board of Pasco County

A variety of colorful and popular characters appear on children's backpacks. You have your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You have Dora the Explorer. You have ... holy mama!

Whoever that was on fourth grader Quentin Ferrer's new backpack, she wasn't Dora. Even Lara Croft would tell her to put some clothes on before she'd go exploring with that gal.

Ferrer, 9, who attends Richey Elementary School in Tampa, Fla., stirred up a lot of excitement at the school with a backpack featuring the kind of scantily clad woman rarely seen outside a biker's tattoo parlor.

Well, maybe excitement is not the right word. Commotion? No. Let's go with controversy.

Principal Ken Miesner banned Ferrer from wearing the backpack, saying the image was disruptive. The St. Petersburg Times reports Fred Ferrer, the boy's father, challenged the decision as censorship and vowed to fight after the school board declined to intervene.

The incident even drew the attention of "Today" and cohost Kathie Lee Gifford (who, by the way, was not the woman on the backpack).

However, the Times reports Quentin Ferrer didn't like to see his father and Miesner debate his backpack with Gifford and gave up his book bag Nov. 3.

"He said, 'I felt uncomfortable at school. This guy keeps bothering me,' " Fred Ferrer tells the Times. "He said, 'I don't want you to get in trouble.' So we went out and bought two new backpacks."

The elder Ferrer tells the newspaper he wanted to protect his son's freedom of expression, but didn't want his son to feel bad about going to school.

Fred Ferrer says he continues to think the district policy governing student attire is unclear, leaving too much to the discretion of the school principal.

School district officials tell the Times they consider the matter resolved. If kids want a sexy backpack, well, they'll have to settle for Hannah Montana.

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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)

Every student has the right to (almost) free speech. Freedom of expression is another story. Any student should be able to walk into school and state their opinion as they please without retaliation. However, things like this, that are obviously disruptive, are often banned, for understandable reasons. Generally I'm all about freedom of expression and I love the style of the backpack (I'm a tattoo fan, what can I say) but it is a bit risqué for fourth grade.

This is not an isssue of free speech. It is an issue of commonsense. The father obviously does not have a clue as to what is proper and ok for is kid, any kid as far as that goes, to even own at this age. Any right thiking adult that does know know this, well I feel sorry for you and your parents.

Are you all idiots?! I remember back in the 70's and 80's this kind of graphic art was all over schools, mostly on T-shirts. Have we taken several steps back into the dark ages? Get your minds out of the gutter idiots; this art does not have to mean what your hate mongering conservative brainwashing forces you to default on.

People, this isn't about freedom of speech or self expression. It is about what is age appropriate for school and that backpack is not meant for an elementary school student. It is for a high school or college student. It's a cool pack but parents get real and stop treating children as if they are adults because they aren't. Be a parent and stop letting the kids run the aslyum called home. Until we do the world and especially America will continue falling into the sewer and other countries will pass us by. GET REAL!!

Jeb, you must be kidding. When it comes to these kinds of issues, I'm as against "censorship" as the next guy, but c'mon; this kid is in 4th grade. Just cause dad says it's ok, doesn't make it so. I keep saying this country is devolving into a cesspool because of permissive parents of this degree, and people like you.

Kudos to the small-minded principal for teaching the students about censorship, and vio0lating their 1st amendment rights to free speech, which includes artwork. This is the 21st century Mr. Principal! Don't be so provincial.

whatever someone creates is artistic because it took imagination to create it. Just because it doesn't belong in a museum's section of renaissance art doesn't mean it is not art, its just a different category of art. Yes this back pack is risque for an elementary student but as for it being disruptive I don't see it being disruptive for more that 30 minutes. The only reason it would be more disruptive is because the adults make a big deal about this bag. Because the kids see the adults having issues with the bag, labeling it a taboo, they become more interested in the bag and want to see it more.The boys teacher was probably a feminist who reported the bag to the principle. The Principle probable told him to change bags because it was disruptive, not because the students were going crazy over it, but because the teacher was making a big deal over.

Only a moral degenerate would say free speech instead of protecting the little boy from this. What type of morals do u have? Must be a gay or liberal. They put free sex above everything. Like talking to the insane. If there is filth on a kid's tv program they say,,'they see worst in the world." Condoning sexualization of children.

@Shadowcat: But of course adults are going to make a stink. That is what makes this disruptive. And it'd last for more than 30 minutes among kids. More like 30 minutes every few weeks, without encouragement from adults. But largely, they probably wouldn't care, you're right. He was teased by his classmates because of the reaction to it, according to the article.

This is story,and the reason behind it , makes me thankful every day that I chose not to procreate and add to this generation's numbers.I am SO GLAD I don't have to deal with parent issues like this one.

This principal sounds like he has a healthy sexual appetite.I don't doubt he snuck in the bath room and pleasured himself when he saw that backpack.

I really feel sorry for any young child that has the thankless task of growing up in these times.Kids HAVE to grow up fast today,because that's the only chance they have to grow up at all.

I have a suggestion for the dad to keep his son from getting caught up in situations like this in the future:

Two words-------HOME SCHOOLING.

That way the dad can be sure his son will be raised with strong values,and also he can save some serious money on tuition.